european weather centre upgrades av for collaboration and...

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For more information about Carillion or for a FREE consultation please contact: Central Estate, Denmark Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7BN, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1628 419519 Fax: +44 (0)1628 778772 Email: [email protected] Web: www.carillion.com

Y O U R E X P E R T P A R T N E R

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), based in

Reading, Berkshire, is an independent inter-governmental organisation supported by

34 states.

ECMWF is a research institute and a 24/7 operational service that produces

and disseminates numerical weather predictions to its Member States. The

supercomputer facility at ECMWF is one of the largest of its type in Europe.

The organisation was established in 1975 and employs around 280 staff from

more than 30 countries. ECMWF is one of the six members of the Co-ordinated

Organisations that include NATO, the Council of Europe, the European Space

Agency, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the

European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

User experience prompted a push for AV clarity

Stuart Mitchell, ECMWF, Team Leader of the Servers and Desktop Support Team,

managed recent upgrades at the Centre.

As a member of the ECMWF staff for 23 years, Stuart has seen many changes

at the Centre. The Centre’s booths and associated signage are a reminder of the

simultaneous interpreters who provided native language assistance in up to six

languages at meetings.

Today, the Centre is continually busy with internal meetings, training courses,

workshops and delegate forums. The needs for AV system speed, ease of use,

and audio and visual clarity in the Centre’s varied meeting and conference areas are

essential to accommodate the multi-national audiences and to do justice to complex

topics.

Stuart Mitchell reports that users of the Centre’s systems were beginning to

complain about dim presentations and poor screen resolution.

European Weather Centre upgrades AV for collaboration and clarity

Case Study

“Carillion were selected on the transparency of their proposal and for the value for money offered against a tight budget.”

Stuart Mitchell, Team Leader Services and Desktop Support Team at ECMWF





A Carillion competitive tender still starts with the customer

Carillion Communications had worked with ECMWF previously on lecture theatre

development as well as on the showcase 8-screen video wall in the Centre’s lift

lobby. Carillion was therefore one of the AV suppliers invited to tender for upgrade

projects.

Carillion typically begins every project by attempting to get to know the customer’s

needs and expectations in detail. ECMWF was no exception and Carillion

undertook a thorough site survey involving one of their Technical Designers. This

essential early step ensures that Carillion can propose clear options that factor in

performance, price and return on technology investment.

Carillion won the bid to upgrade the AV systems in the Centre’s lecture theatre,

Council Chamber and five meeting rooms.

“One of our challenges was integration with legacy systems.”

Stuart Mitchell, Team Leader Services and Desktop Support Team at ECMWF

Stuart Mitchell says Carillion

“were selected on the

transparency of their proposal and

for the value for money offered

against a tight budget”.

He also offered high praise for

the skill and flexibility of Carillion’s

lead engineer who overcame the

project’s technical challenges and

worked around the Centre’s very

busy activity levels.





Before and after; a remarkable difference

A popular ECMWF tale has it that when the new lecture theatre projector was

first used the presenter ran through his opening slides, which were dark, to some

brighter slides that brought an audible gasp of appreciation from the audience.

The brightness and resolution of the new theatre system means that presentations

are clear at the back of the lecture theatre, 16 metres from the screen.

In the Council Chamber Carillion fitted larger desktop-style screens that sit in front

of delegates seated around a large conference table, as well as a new projection

and switching system. The presenter has full control of his topic on all screens and

communications are clear for all, short range and long.

Ease of use means systems get used continually

With the advent of so many forms of

presentation devices - from lectern systems

and PCs, to laptops, tablets and phones - the

ability to go live quickly with presentations

and accommodate multiple presenters is

key for both meeting efficiency and effective

collaboration.

Carillion installed Barco ClickShare in the

ECMWF meeting rooms, which means that

multiple presenters can connect wirelessly

and access HD widescreens with their

content. ClickShare’s dongle puts an end to

cable clutter and meeting interruptions caused

by device or presenter change-overs.





In one meeting room in which projection was not an option, Carillion installed an

LCD screen to present ClickShare content.

Functional equipment is used and heard but not seen

On a tour of the Centre, you are likely to

have pointed out that the projector and

cabling in the Council Chamber are neatly

and cleverly hidden away.

Carillion’s installation housekeeping and

attention to detail preserve the aesthetics

of a largely wooden décor in which a 40-

seat conference table with microphones

and Member flags is the centrepiece.

Stuart Mitchell said, “one of our challenges

was integration with legacy systems.

Ensuring high quality sound in the Council

Chamber and Lecture Theatre, with their

historical interpreting set-ups, was essential

and accomplished very well.”

Enhanced communications help ECMWF compete

Not many people would know that the world of meteorology is competitive.

ECMWF’s research into numerical weather prediction models ranks number one for

its forecasting accuracy skill score. In 2012, the Centre predicted Hurricane Sandy’s

westward path seven days before it hit New York, while the data at NCAR, the US

National Center for Atmospheric Research, did not reveal the likelihood until three

or four days before the event.

The upgrades to the Centre’s AV infrastructure play their part in enabling ECMWF’s

physicists, mathematicians and meteorologists to hold regular meetings in which

they can be fully productive and share information clearly, without the distraction of

clunky functionality, fuzzy sound, blurred graphics or insufficient light.

The Carillion Difference; another unique environment

Dee Reed, Carillion Managing Director, said, “Carillion works in some remarkable

environments. ECMWF posed specific challenges and we’re delighted to have

overcome them. It’s gratifying to see the systems being used to advantage by people

of so many nationalities working on such complex projects.”

Carillion Communications Ltd | Central Estate | Denmark Street | Maidenhead | Berkshire | SL6 7BN | UK

Tel: +44 (0)1628 419519 | Fax: +44 (0)1628 778772 | Web: www.carillion.com

Registered in England and Wales: No 2817840

Integrated AV

Boardroom & Meeting Room Design

Video Conferencing

Consultancy & Design

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